People across America woke up to disappointment on Thursday morning.
Lottery losers across the country are sulking after failing to win the Powerball jackpot.
Disappointed players took to social media to show their tickets either ripped up or burned. One little girl couldn’t stop crying.
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But two of the biggest losers managed to keep smiles on their faces. Ryan McGuinness and Shane Krugman from Tampa, Florida raised $146,000 on Facebook in what’s believed to be the largest Powerball pool ever.
But they didn’t have one of the three winning tickets. Those were bought in Chino Hills, California; Munford, Tennessee, and Melbourne Beach, Florida.
The friends explained that they posted on Facebook to ask if anyone wanted to join a pool - and were soon inundated with requests.
By Wednesday night’s drawing, 293 people put down a combined $146,500 to buy a staggering 73,250 tickets, the duo told INSIDE EDITION. Other people asked them to join the pool but they had to turn them down in order to have enough time to process all the tickets before the drawing.
“It was quite an ordeal logistically,” Krugman told IE.
If they had won the $1.5 billion jackpot, everyone would have walked away with around $6.5 million pre-tax, provided they opted for the lump sum, McGuinness said.
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But while they didn’t win big, they’re hoping for a 10 percent return – around $15,000 – on the money they put down. The tickets are still being checked by their local store.
“We would do it all over again,” McGuinness said. “People are saying it’s the best experience in their life. It’s been pretty exciting.”
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